The Oncoming Storm
by Captain Lupin Ferus
Summary: There's a storm coming, and not everyone's as prepared for it as they think they are. The Storm Hawks are coming to town and trouble isn't too far behind them. Better batten down the hatches!
1. Prologue: Imaginary

**The Oncoming Storm  
Prologue: Imaginary**

_**Disclaimer:**___**I do not own the cartoon**_**Storm Hawks**_**. It and all its respectable characters are © to Asaph "Ace" Fipke and Nerd Corps.** **Lupin and all plot contents within are © to me. All shows/ books/ video games/ songs that are mentioned in this chapter are all © to their respective owners, I don't own them.**

**Summary: There's a storm coming, and not everyone's as prepared for it as they think they are. The Storm Hawks are coming to town and trouble isn't too far behind them. **

**Note: Yeah, I'm back. I guess. Let's go with a cheesy title too, while I'm back at it for the time being.**

**Re-revamping of **_**The Oncoming Storm**_**, formerly **_**Fringe**_**, which was formerly **_**Insomnia**_**. Including plot devices, characters, Lupin herself, so on and so forth. On the note of Lupin, she's become such a separate entity nowadays, she's really not me anymore, she really isn't. She's incredibly, entirely different. I hope she's enjoyed better this way. I just feel awkward nowadays with the self-insert stuff. :P**

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_This is a work of fiction. All characters in it, human or otherwise, are imaginary, excepting only certain of the fairy folk, whom it may be unwise to offend by casting doubts on their existence. Or lack thereof.  
_**- Neil Gaiman**

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The garage smelled of a combination of motor oil, burning rubber, coffee and the occasional whiff of cigarette smoke. An old school boom box, complete with a CD and cassette tape player, was currently playing loud classic rock, a mix tape of the classics of the 80's and early 90's. The quality wasn't the greatest in the world, but the tape inside was well cared for at the very least, having lasted as long as it has. A bin of more mix tapes sat next to it.

Competing in the noise department alongside the music was the sound of a power tool whirring and buzzing from underneath the hood of a second generation Chevrolet Camaro. It was painted a rather brazen yellow, complete with sleek black racing stripes. The paint job itself looked recently done, although it was dull from not having been properly waxed yet. The windshields were slightly dusty, but could still be seen through properly. The interior looked worn but plush and comfortable from years of use.

A young woman was standing over the exposed car's engine, handling the power tool, while the sun shone outside on the city of Los Angeles, bright and clear. It was a warm late summer day, but she donned a pair of grimy, doodled-on jeans despite the heat, alongside a pair of heavy steel-toed combat boots. Her top was a little more appropriate, a worn black tank top with an oil or grease stain here or there, while an equally dirty bandanna hung out her back pocket. A weathered leather belt hung around her hips, carrying varying drill bits, tools, bolts and nuts, and other miscellaneous items she may need.

She was short, slim and lean in stature, with a hint of muscle tone, showing she was in rather decent shape. Her skin was tanned from being exposed to the sun for long periods of time, and her hair was dark brown tipped red and pulled into a ponytail. All in all, she looked rather normal…if it weren't for the varying scars along her arms, her face, and shoulders, along with the wolf ears twitching atop her head and the bushy tail poking out her backside, that is.

Foot traffic moved along sluggishly outside the open garage bay door she worked out of, while cars continued on their way as well. Kids would occasionally stop by, listening to the music, watching the young woman with the tail and ears. Two children stayed the longest, whispering and giggling as they stared at the swaying tail and twitching ears. When the noise the two were making was finally noticed after she cut the tool's power off, she glanced over her shoulder at two gaggling children. She eyed the taller boy, no older than ten, and jerked her chin at him.

"Martinez, does your mother know you're down here? You know she doesn't like it when you wander around this street."

The little boy and his sister laughed. The boy shifted his backpack on his shoulder.

"You're not Ana's or my mother, last I checked," he countered smugly.

"No, I ain't, but I have her on speed dial and if you snuck out again instead of doing your homework, I'm sure she'd be very interested to hear where you're at right about now."

She reached for a phone in her tool belt and waggled it tauntingly. The curly-haired boy stiffened and his little sister, just a slip of a girl in a pretty little sundress, gasped, clutching his hand tightly. Martinez clenched his jaw.

"Already done."

"Okay, then let's work on your times tables. I know you need help with them. Git in here, both of you. I don't want some idiot to abduct you and me ending up the main suspect. Jesus. Use some common sense, kiddo."

She turned toward a workbench, carrying the power tool with her and whipping the power cord along the ground and out of the wall. The little girl darted forward with a giggle and grabbed the tail end, picking it up as she trailed after Lupin. The older woman patted the girl on the head and thanked her, piling cord and tool on the table. Martinez found a wheeled chair and collapsed into it, slumping. He dumped his pack beside him, and Lupin caught sight of the familiar _Avengers_ décor art on the back of it. Ana dropped her _My Little Pony_ backpack beside it.

"You suck at math, Lupin."

"Better at it than you, Mr. Summer School. I got college on your skinny butt too."

"One time!"

"One's enough, trust me," Lupin clucked her tongue at him. "Now. Eight times eight."

"Sixty-five."

"Wrong."

"Wrong!" Ana parroted with a giggle. Lupin crossed the cramped garage floor to a mini-fridge and pulled out a Capri-Sun and bag of fresh carrots, handing them over to Ana, who was still following after Lupin. The little girl set to work on the drink immediately. Lupin led her back around to where her brother was.

"How's it wrong? It's right!"

"Count again."

He scowled.

"Hey, it's either sit here with me or I personally send you straight home. I'm a lot faster than you. You run, I'll catch you."

The ten-year-old grumbled some more before relenting and began counting under his breath. Then he answered, "Sixty…four?"

"Good. Seven times four."

"Twenty-six. I mean, twenty-eight!"

"Right. One-forty-four divided by six."

"That's not fair!"

"Division is very fair, you're supposed to know this, just like your multiples."

"I _hate_ division."

"I hate it too. What's the answer?" Lupin continued dispassionately as she picked up a tool from her belt, changed out the bit size she needed and turned back to the engine. Ana settled beside her, standing on her tippy-toes to peek at the carbureted engine. She looked at Lupin with wide, pretty brown eyes and smiled when Lupin glanced at her, a carrot between her lips. Lupin patted her head again as she set to work on the carrot in earnest.

"It's twenty-four," a new voice called behind her. Her ears twitched.

"Good, now what's a hundred and ten divided by eleven?" Her mind was somewhat still there, while another part was focused on tightening up that one last bolt and then she'd be done to _finally_ move on to changing the bloody oil, replace the battery, and—

Wait. That wasn't Martinez, was it?

She straightened and twisted to look over her shoulder, narrowing mismatched eyes at the newcomer's voice. _Damn. Not paying attention. Not a good sign. You're slipping, Marine._

Leaning on the side of her garage bay door was a slim young man, fit and lean and built like an athlete, to be truthful, although he also looked fresh out of high school. She was sure there was more muscle under the t-shirt and jeans he was wearing, too, never mind the sight of his arms. Broad shoulders, sunny blond hair, bright blue eyes, and a winsome smile that appeared too smug for his own good…

She disliked him on sight.

Immediately, the thought of a womanizer came to mind. She knew the type off the bat and frankly, couldn't stand men like him. Only reason she didn't go batting for the same side of the fence was because women were too fucking crazy to predict. At least men were easier to predict and fool and manipulate.

Well, _most_ of the time.

Not to mention she could smell every lust and horny-filled hormone wafting off the guy. That didn't help matters much. It didn't pay being a werewolf sometimes, it really didn't, but it wasn't like she was born this way or asked for the bloody curse…

She eyed him for a moment longer and he allowed another beat to pass after that before pushing himself off the wall, venturing a few steps closer. "Try a harder one. Pretty sure I can nail it."

Lupin didn't answer right away. She glanced down at Ana, who was watching the stranger with shy interest while Martinez was looking back between her and the blond-haired man. She put herself between Ana and the young man. Her tail bristled and her ears remained ramrod straight on top of her head. She noticed he shot an occasional glance toward them, before landing back on her face.

"Can I help you? Oh, wait. I can't. This isn't a working mechanic's garage."

"Looks like one to me."

"It's my home. I _live_ here. Meaning it's private property and you're intruding."

The smug smile deflated a little and he coughed, looking a bit embarrassed. "Oh, uh. I'm sorry, I didn't know. I just assumed…with the…_car_ and all…"

"Don't ever assume things. Always double check," she paused, loosening her clenched jaw slightly. "I can point you in the direction of a good shop a few blocks from here. Decent prices, I know the owner. Mention my name, might even get a nice discount. I used to work there in high school, left on pretty good terms with the old man."

"Uh, thanks, but I was actually looking for you. Wait, just to double-check, your name's…hold on, I got it here somewhere…" He started digging through his pockets, yanked out a wallet and began filing through it. Lupin saw the large wad of green sticking out the edges of it and her eyes widened before she darted forward and yanked him further inside.

He cried out, and flailed his arms before a split moment later she realized he was trying to put her in an arm bar. She broke the piss poor attempt and got behind him, threw her arm around his neck, bringing him down and applied pressure. He kicked his legs and gagged, one hand yanking at her arm, the other pushing with his wallet still in it.

"Ya know, I had you pegged for some kind of idiot, but you are a _moron_ on _epic_ _proportions_. Shut up, stop struggling, and get inside. I'm not robbing you," she hissed in his ear, easily hauling him inside from sight.

"Oh, yeah, right says the crazy woman putting me in a headlock! _Get off me!_"

"Ana, go to my room. Martinez, close the garage door and go with her."

"But—!"

"Do it or I'm calling your mother!"

Martinez picked up his pack and his sister's, took her hand and went to the bay door switch to close it off. The door creaked and groaned and screeched, but finally got going after he hit the button. Martinez hesitated, looking between Lupin and the young man before tugging Ana along with him and up a set of metal stairs to an office-space-turned-bedroom. When the door closed up there and the garage door settled as well, Lupin released her prisoner.

He stumbled away and leaned on the work bench, his free hand going to his neck. "What in the name of Atmos is your problem?! What did I do to you to deserve that treatment?!"

Lupin gave pause at that. Atmos? That sounded familiar, but the moment was fleeting and she rolled her eyes, flapping her hand at him. "Put your damned wallet away, you _gorram_ moron. D'ya know what kind of neighborhood you're in? What city you're in? This is _Los Angeles_. Not the sunny, bright, fun-in-the-sun Hollywood and Beverly Hills part of the city, no. You're in the I-will-shoot-you-in-your-face-in-broad-fucking-day light-for-the-ten-bucks-in-your-wallet part of the city. You don't go flashing _that much cash_ in places like _this_." She huffed, straightening her shirt out, then began wiping her hands on the bandanna from her back pocket. "Only reason I'm being nice like this is because I don't feel like having someone shoot you on my front door. I don't want to clean up the mess and have the cops here."

"You call that being nice? You nearly choked me to death! I was just trying to double-check your name! Sheesh, you could've ruined this handsome face. And I'm pretty sure I can take on just about anyone."

Great. Not only was he one of those good-looking blonds, but he was adhering to the dumb blonde stereotype as well. Fan-_fucking_-tastic. He snorted and straightened, and he was definitely taller than her, but he watched her more warily now. She was fast and he knew it now. Good. He was _that_ smart, at least.

"Oh, like you took on li'l ole me? I barely reach your shoulders and I took you down like taking candy from a baby. Your technique sucks. Plus, not much good you'll have in hand-to-hand when you're up against a dumbass with a gun."

"My techni—_your_ technique sucks! Come at me again, I'll be ready this time! You just caught me off guard, is all."

Oh, childish, too. That was lovely. She gave him The Stare. Everyone knew it or _should_ know it at least. The one you gave to your friends when they asked or said something stupid. There was a more intense one you gave to complete strangers, of course, because they were strangers. There was also the one you gave to a family member when they made a rather dull joke and they're the only ones laughing. The Stare was universal. It should be taught to people to be recognized in schools, in her opinion. Maybe there'd be less stupid people in the world if it was. Or maybe that was just her sarcasm speaking.

He stared her down for a few more beats, before realizing she wasn't playing his game. He sheepishly backed down before looking down at his wallet, still clenched in his hand. He looked back at her again and frowned. He opened his mouth to speak again, but a barrage of pounding on the door to the garage opposite the bay door sounded off, alongside muffled shouts. A name. Finn. She raised a brow at him. "Lemme guess. You're running in a pack."

"A what? No, that's…gotta be my squadron. Er, Piper, actually. Mind letting her in?"

She studied him for a moment longer before turning to answer the door. It was located on the other side of her vehicle, between the bathroom and the metal stairs that led to her makeshift bedroom. She paused on her way to the door, saw Martinez and Ana watching her and the blond man from the open doorway. "Martinez," she called and he jumped in surprise. "You got your cell?"

He nodded.

"Get back inside and call your mama, have her come pick you up."

"But Lupin—!"

"Do it now or _I'll_ call her. Your choice."

He grouched before disappearing back into the room, tugging Ana with him. The door slammed close. Satisfied, she moved on to the entrance to her garage. From the outside, it was located in the alleyway, seemingly innocuous and flimsy. On her side, however, Lupin hadn't spared the expense of letting it stay that way. She had it reinforced by deadbolts, locks and chains. Her bay door was similarly locked down for the nights. She didn't like or trust the neighborhood all that well, but the rent for the garage alone serving as storage and her makeshift apartment was easier on her paycheck. Water and electricity was included, practically for free, although she lacked a working kitchen. But that was what friends were for, though. Benefits! Plus, takeout wasn't half bad most of the time, at least. There were lots of variety in a city, and plenty of choices to pick from.

Lupin pulled a slot on the door back, getting a view of the alleyway beyond behind a wire mesh. A young and pretty dark-skinned woman stood on the other side, orange-yellow eyes staring back, and her thick hair so black, it had an almost bluish sheen to it. She was reminded of her aunt's hair for a moment. The other woman took a moment's respite in her pounding and stared back, surprised before rolling her shoulders back, looking at Lupin through the mesh. Saw her eyes move toward the fucking scar on her face and her tail bristled. She stifled the growl she had building up, trying to appear as casual as she could.

"My friend was looking around your garage a few minutes ago and now he's gone. He didn't come by here, did he? Tall, blond, loud-mouthed?" Her eyes were narrowed in suspicion, like she already knew he was there.

Lupin snorted, already throwing the various locks off. "Yeah, talks big, but can't back it up? Thinks he's such a lady killer?"

"Sounds like Finn," she consented, looking somewhat relieved. Lupin threw the hatch back on, unlocked the door, and opened it. She motioned her inside, getting a whiff of the woman's scent mark. It was easier and simpler to gather intentions from a simple sniff of a person than to spend time talking to them. Hormones and emotions were worn on them like a second skin, always changing and fluctuating on the outside, but their foundations the same. Liars and conmen were easy to pick from a lineup of honest citizens. Ill intentions hiding behind a sickly sweet mask were like a beacon. The nose never lied. Neither did animal senses.

And so far, she didn't smell anything wafting off the woman, or the young man. A bit odd, and she picked up on odd scents that didn't quite smell human—other beasties like herself, maybe?—but none of the ill-intentioned, turbulent emotions she could pinpoint easily on the fly. Lupin followed at a distance behind the woman, hand resting on one of the handles of a Phillips screwdriver in her tool belt like the handle of a knife, muscles still tense.

Just because she couldn't smell bad intentions, didn't mean they wouldn't occur. Her nose wasn't perfect. Others were good at hiding themselves, skilled liars, and while she doubted these two were in that caliber, you never knew. Unpredictability was a very human trait and her complacency and reliability solely on her sniffer could get her hurt or worse, the kids upstairs.

"There you are! Jeez, Finn, what'd you do this time?"

"ME? She's the one who jumped me and dragged me in here and locked me up!" The young man, Finn, pointed accusatorily at Lupin. The young woman glanced back at Lupin, who only shrugged.

"I already told him why. Lesson number one, pumpkin? Don't flash big cash in shady neighborhoods like this. You'll get shot and then I'll be very unhappy because I'll have cops crawling all over the place, and blood all over my garage floor."

The woman assessed her a second longer than Lupin would've liked, before tilting her head in Finn's direction.

"Finn…"

"What? I forgot her name. I had it in my wallet."

"Second lesson, dearie? Keep important paperwork out of your wallet so you don't get shot while rifling through your money-riddled wallet. Or stabbed, that's even more painful. Trust me. And it'd be less messy for you," Lupin shot off breezily as she moved across the lot to reopen her garage bay door. Her ears swiveled at the sound of her bedroom door opening. She pivoted and pointed at Martinez, who was sticking his head out. "Get back inside, I'll call you down when your mother's here."

He groaned, was about to slip back inside, but paused as a trio of cats came running up the stairs and into the bedroom. She heard Ana squeal in joy right before the door closed, muffling it. Lupin went back to the engine, still trying to appear casual when in reality she was coiled and tense, ready to spring at a given notice. Again, recognizing these two were probably no more a threat to herself than a fly was to a horse, she still had two others to consider. Just because she couldn't get hurt, didn't mean they couldn't.

Regardless, she could still appear casual and on the alert while working. She bent back over the engine, working on that damned bolt. Too much strength, she'd strip it and then she'd be up shit creek without a paddle. She didn't think she had an extra of that size.

"So, is she the one," she heard the young woman, Piper if Lupin recalled correctly, asked.

"'_She'_ has ears, and it's kind of hard to miss them. You can also ask her whatever it is you want. I'm still in the _gorram_ room."

She noticed the sheepish expressions from the corner of her eye as she gently coaxed that one nasty little bolt to loosen. Damn, it was stuck on there good. She _really_ didn't want to risk ripping it out or stripping it.

"Right. Sorry. Um, you probably already know, but he's Finn and I'm Piper. And I'm guessing you're Lupin, and we…kind of need your help."

"Like I told your buddy earlier, I'm not a working mechanic's garage, this is my home. I live here. I don't exactly have a receptionist and a price listing here for labor."

"We can pay you," Piper insisted before adding, "and your friend Bear said you'd help. He's the one who referred you to us."

That gave her pause. Bear? Her buddy Bear? She straightened up, stashed the tool back in her belt and wiped her hands on her bandanna again.

"Bear sent you, huh? What exactly did he say?"

"That you're a pretty good mechanic and you could help us out with…a problem with one of our vehicles. We don't have the parts."

"Take it to one of the shops around here. Or elsewhere, I don't care."

"But we can _pay_ you. You saw how much Finn has, and there's _five_ of us. We all have about the same on us each."

Lupin snorted, but that too gave her pause. _That_ was a lot of money. And that kid had at least a couple bloody grand on him. That was some very big cash to be carrying around. And there were only a few ways she could think of could get someone that much money in a very short amount of time.

"You drug smugglers? Because I don't deal with that shit."

"What? No! We…we raced. We won this cash in street races."

"Illegal street racing, you mean," Lupin countered pointedly. The small, nervous exchange between the two of them was all she needed and she sighed. "Don't worry. Your secret's safe with me. I do it from time to time myself. Or I did. Some dumbass drunk driver T-boned me and my baby here. Had to rebuild him from the ground up."

She gave the car an affectionate pat and sighed again at the surprised looks.

"It looks almost new."

"I know people. And I take care of him."

"Apparently."

Lupin turned back to the engine again. "Look, if you think I can be bought that easily, you're wrong. If I was that strapped for cash, I'd just go win it myself when I get my boy back up and running."

"Please, your friend said you could help."

Lupin almost groaned. Persistent, weren't they?

"Look, I don't know what Bear promised I'd do, or said I might do, but I'm not about to go off on your word alone." She paused and could almost kick herself for being curious now. "Why won't you take your problem to a local garage?"

"We need parts for one, and we don't trust public mechanics, for another. It's…a bit private."

"So you go under the radar for repairs and supplies. And you met Bear, by chance I'm assuming, so he pointed you guys to me. Wonderful," Lupin surmised. Assuming they were also truthful, and so far, she couldn't sniff out any deceit from them. She pinched the bridge of her nose and muttered under her breath, "Smart ursine bastard."

"So you'll help?" Piper looked hopeful, and so did Finn.

"I didn't say that," Lupin stated firmly before adding, "But…I will agree to see what the job entails to. I need information before I just go blindly jumping into a job. Data, data, data, I cannot make bricks without clay."

In truth, Lupin really wasn't thinking about the money. She knew how to survive on bare minimum, and often spent as little as possible if she didn't need to. She wasn't one to aimlessly waste her money and neither was she greedy enough to be blinded by every flash of green that sailed her way. It didn't mean she wasn't completely impervious, however.

Every bit could count and if they were willing to pay. She'd be fair in her commission, if she took the job. She couldn't say the same for the parts they may need, though. Some companies were just plain greedy.

"That's fine, we can take you over to—"

A car horn interrupted Piper, cutting through the air with a shrilly noise. Lupin excused herself and called out to the kids. They came popping out from her bedroom, rushing down the stairs. Lupin escorted them out and saw them to their mother's beat up Honda Civic. Maria, their mother, leaned out of the window, looking tired but thankful.

"Thank you, sweetheart, for watching these two. Really, I don't know why they come here every day, but I'm glad you put up with it. Here," she smiled, and offered a small wad of cash to Lupin. "I should be paying you if they're going to keep this up."

Lupin hesitated, then shook her head.

"Maria, I couldn't. Really, it's nothing. I just don't wanna see them gettin' hurt around here, is all—"

The woman reached out and pushed the small wad into Lupin's chest.

"_Take it._ Lord knows you need the money to find yourself a better place than this. Young girl like you shouldn't be living out of a _garage_. You should be in a nice apartment somewhere. Every bit counts, right?" The woman smiled, dimples appearing in her cheeks, warm brown eyes crinkling at the edges.

Lupin reluctantly tucked the money away, heeding her own advice to make sure no one saw it. Maria hesitated before adding, "You know, we do have room at our place…"

"I'm fine. I can manage here. Promise."

"Are you sure?" Maria looked unconvinced.

"Yeah. Listen, I got guests over right now, Maria. I don't mean to cut this short…"

The older woman clucked her tongue, but nodded and they bid one another good bye. The kids waved at her from the backseat. Lupin watched as they drove away before turning back inside.

Finn was poking around her Camaro, admiring while he had his hands stuffed in his jeans pockets. Piper was overlooking a few books Lupin had scattered here and there over her work benches, most of them car repair manuals. One of them, however, was for a motorcycle. Piper held it up to Lupin when she saw her approach.

"Do you ride these?"

The question took her aback for only a moment.

"Used to putter around on dirt bikes as a kid. Got pretty good at it," she admitted. "I have one. A street bike, I mean. But I never really rode it much. It probably needs a lot of repair and maintenance, though. It's…somewhere in here."

It had been a decent investment, right before her first deployment. After she had stored it away during her time away from the states, she never really took it out after she got back. It's been sitting in her garage since.

Piper's expression crumbled just a little as she put the manual back.

"So, are we gonna do business or what?" Finn came ambling up, hands still in his pockets. Piper crossed her arms loosely over her chest, looking at the werewolf expectantly. She sighed.

"If I see it as a sound investment that ain't gonna get me shot in some back alley or something, then I suppose we will. _And_ if I can get the parts. Some might be harder than others."

"Of course, we're not going to cheat you. You'll get paid, and most of what you'll need is basic parts like you would for any bike."

"Well, right, but you never know, there's also deliveries and shipping problems, not to mention—wait. Did you just say 'bike'?"

The two exchanged looks, then trained their gazes back on Lupin.

"Yes, I did," Piper answered. "We did mention the repairs were for a bike, right?"

The older woman stared, a bit flabbergasted.

"You want me…to do this sneaky repair job…for a _bike_?"

That certainly changed things.

The two nodded. Piper smiled knowingly with white, even teeth. "This isn't just any old bike, trust me. It's…pretty out of this world. Not exactly one of its kind, but close enough," she said cryptically. Finn grinned.

"You definitely won't see it anywhere else. Trust us."

Trust them?

She was hesitant to do so now.

"I _rarely_ work on bikes, if ever. Hell, I rarely work on my _own_. You sure you want me near it?"

"We have someone who can help out. Truthfully, we need parts and someone to procure them without arousing suspicion. The fact that you happen to one your own bike only helps believability."

Lupin frowned, not exactly sold on that logic. Why couldn't they just walk into a store and get their own parts, even bare essentials? They seemed and even smelled sincere, but it could be a rather clever ruse. Or a trap. But why go through all this trouble when they could get someone more gullible? Things weren't adding up.

"Okay, I'll see what I can do, but I choose the place of repair and when I do it. I have a job and school. I don't exactly bum around my garage, working on my car all day."

If she controlled some aspect of this job, then she had some advantages. And some was better than none.

Piper exchanged another look with Finn. A wordless conversation seemed to pass between them before a silent agreement was seemingly reached.

"When's the soonest you can start assessment? I mean, we already have a list of things that we know for a fact need repair or replacement, but you might see things we missed."

The older woman thought on this, crossing her arms as she leaned against the side of her car.

"Tomorrow afternoon. Y'know where the warehousing district a couple miles just west of here, close to the highway?"

"Yeah, we're actually pretty near there," Finn answered. Piper shot him a look. It didn't escape Lupin, but she said nothing on it.

"The one closest the closed highway ramp. Be there around sixteen-hundred. Erm. Four o'clock, I mean."

And thus, it seemed the negotiations were at an end. The two left, leaving Lupin alone in the silence. It was only then that she realized her music had turned off, probably sometime when the kids had arrived. To steady her jitters, she set to work putting on a fresh pot of coffee, strike up a cigarette and switch out a new mix tape.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**


	2. Chapter One: Assessment

**Chapter One:  
Assessment**

**Disclaimer:**__**I do not own the cartoon**_**Storm Hawks**_**. It and all its respectable characters are © to Asaph "Ace" Fipke and Nerd Corps.** **Lupin and all plot contents within are © to me. All shows/ books/ video games/ songs that are mentioned in this chapter are all © to their respective owners, I don't own them.**

**Note: Hello, hello. I'm not quite gone yet. I will be trying to do somewhat consistent updates, but there ain't no guarantees. I'll try though! Trying is good, right? Anyway, enjoy the next chapter, my lovelies!**

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

_Sometimes a thing gets broke, _can't _be __fixed._  
**-Kaylee, **_**Firefly**_

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"Get off me, ya bums."

One furry head popped up slowly, gave a plaintive meow, and settled back down into the warmth of the blankets. Lupin groaned and shifted under the bundles, tempted to do the same, but…she had to get up.

A soft whining made her groan again. She jolted as a wet tongue swabbed itself over her face, hot dog-breath pouring over her. She gagged and pushed a furry snout away.

"Kosmo!"

A black-furred head tilted at her as Lupin opened her eyes to glare at the dog blearily. Warm, liquid brown eyes and a grinning, panting smile were her furry companion's answer. She yawned, too tired to stay mad. A cat shuffled higher up on her chest and settled there, purring contentedly. A second was lying across her thighs, while a third was between the wall and her head, purring as blithely as the small one on her chest.

Kosmo the German Shepard whined again, tail thumping excitedly, impatiently.

"Okay, okay, we'll go. Just lemme get up," she yawned again and sat up. Three cats scattered tiredly as Lupin stretched. Kosmo scooted closer to the bed, blocking her from getting off as he nosed her arm to pet him. She had to move him aside by the thick leather collar. "Oi, let me by, you big ham. I swear, I'll let the Chinese restaurant down the street have all y'all!"

The empty threat went unheeded as she shuffled to the door of her makeshift bedroom, and down the cold metal steps to the bathroom downstairs. The three cats and dog followed suite, scattering across the garage. Kosmo was her alarm clock, always up at six, almost without fail. She rarely set her actual clock or phone alarm nowadays.

After the bathroom, Lupin went about her usual morning routine. She set up her coffee to start brewing while she took Kosmo out, came back, took a quick shower, got dressed and had coffee, and got ready for school or work.

Today's schedule revolved around the former. She readied her satchel, collected her books and gathered her keys up. She stared at her car sitting in its spot. She had finally, _finally_, finished piecing her poor baby back together late last night. It had seemed like an unlucky sign when, in her first week back home and no longer an active duty service member, that she had gotten t-boned by a drunk driver. Most considered her lucky to have survived. She had merely found it an inconvenience and annoying as hell. Shrapnel had stayed pierced in her side for several hours until the Jaws of Life had been called upon to pry her out.

But, she considered herself luckier to have good connections and great friends who helped her out through the mess. She had protested at first, but after one such friend threatened to tie her up and force her to watch them work on her car without allowing her to assist, she shut up pretty quick. Most of the leg work had been completed within a week of the accident by them—chassis and interior repair, paint job, suspension work— and she fielded the rest, mostly maintenance and repairs on the engine, which had suffered a great deal. The carburetor especially had been difficult to replace after discovering it had been damaged beyond repair. The cons of having a carbureted engine.

The past two months, her first out of the service, had been decently kind enough to her. Despite her lack of personal transportation, finding a job with her resume had been surprisingly quick. It wasn't her dream job, but it was a start. Getting into college, however, had been another matter entirely. It had been managed enough to accommodate her schedule, though.

Lupin watched as two of her cats tussled around on the garage floor as a moment of distraction. Kosmo sniffed her bag, then looked up at her and whined. She patted his head.

"Be a good boy, now. Watch the house, you're in charge."

After securing the cats and opening the bay door, Lupin settled inside her Camaro, and felt a little thrill at being back behind the wheel. Her hand settled over the shifter. Her left foot tested the clutch. She sank back into the refurbished, plush leather seat, inhaled the scent of old and new mingling. Lupin started her vehicle up, reveling in the growling rumble of the engine. A shiver ran down the length of her spine and she grinned, a flash of fangs poked out from the corners of her mouth.

Oh, yeah. The bitch was back.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"So, you're sure she'll be here?"

"She said to meet her here. Relax, Aerrow."

"She didn't agree to fix anything, though. I can't relax. If she doesn't help, we gotta start all over again. And Cyclonis—"

"Isn't here. We would've seen movement from her by now. She'd be stuck, same as us if she were here."

Piper smiled reassuringly and it coaxed a gentler smile from the taller, redheaded young man beside her. Aerrow sighed softly.

"You're right, Pipes. Sorry. Just…three, no, four weeks now, being stuck here…it's just…"

"I know. I'm homesick too. We'll get back, though. I found someone who might be able to help."

"That's good. Did you set up a meeting yet?"

"Yeah, tomorrow morning by the Staples Center. It's pretty public, but also private enough that people won't care to eavesdrop. Hopefully."

"It'll be fine. Doesn't seem a lot of the stuff we have back in Atmos exists out in the open in this world."

"That's the weird thing. This girl, Lupin? She had dog ears and a tail, and nobody seemed to care all that much when she walked out onto the street. They didn't freak out, at least. Not like the last time we brought Junko out, remember?"

Aerrow grimaced and nodded, remembering quite well. Luckily, the incident had happened late at night, in the small hours outside of a diner parking lot instead of in broad daylight, in front of public masses. The incident had, so far, gone largely unnoticed by the mass population, thankfully.

But a tail and ears in broad daylight? Either people _did_ know about things like this or it was a rather intricate eccentricity the girl indulged in. It was certainly enough to give him pause and he mulled over this tidbit while his eyes roamed over the other warehouses in the distance; the hazy, smog-covered blue sky; the arching, incomplete highway ramp that would likely never see completion. The sounds of the highway traffic in the distance sounded tinny and faded into the background noise.

Something roared and rumbled close by, breaking his train of thoughts. An alarmed squawk sounded off shortly after. Aerrow turned to see a blue-furred, skinny and clothed creature pop up from behind a rusted oil drum, ears pricked high and alert.

"Radarr," he called, catching his attention. The creature turned his attention when his name was called, and growled inquisitively. Radarr allowed a beat to pass before rushing over, tail held ramrod straight and bristling. The rumble of an engine drew closer, fading in and out occasionally. The three waited and it wasn't long before a sleek, low-slung yellow and black-striped vehicle came prowling around the corner of one of the warehouses. It looked shiny, like it had received a long-awaited, well-deserved wax job. The rims gleamed as the late afternoon light between warehouses caught onto them. The vehicle came to a stop when it was within ten feet of them.

Aerrow and Piper leaned on Piper's bike, side by side while Radarr clambered onto his shoulders, watching the driver through the windshield warily.

The purr of the engine cut short and a young woman emerged from the driver's side. She was dressed casually enough, just like them—jeans, t-shirt, a plaid over shirt, boots. A hat sat squarely on her head, dark hair tipped red in a slight mess, while red-tipped bangs framed her tan face. She was short, lean, slightly athletic in build, nothing too fancy about her. But she was pretty, even with the scar on her face. She removed sunglasses she had on her face and revealed startlingly contrasting eyes: the right was a blue-gray and rather normal, but the left was a bright gold, almost animalistic in nature, like that of a cat. It was slightly unnerving.

But, being the young man that he was, those features alone weren't enough to discourage him from greeting her properly. So she had a few quirks? So what? Other than that, she looked rather normal. Not tail, no ears. Perhaps they really had been an eccentricity? Aerrow put on a smile and stepped forward, a hand extended out to her for a handshake.

"You must be Lupin. I'm Aerrow. This guy here is Radarr. And you've already met Piper."

The woman nodded to them and grasped his hand in hers. Her grip was surprisingly strong, but he noticed the hesitation flicker on her face when he introduced himself. The way she stared at him and at Radarr, at Piper, then back to him…it was almost as if in faint recognition. It was brief, fleeting, and then gone. Well, _that_ was interesting.

"Right, yeah. That's me. Grease monkey for hire," she shot back. He chuckled.

"It'll be worth it, trust me."

She inhaled slowly and exhaled ever slower. She looked to be holding back a snappish reply.

"Okay, so. Where is it?" She finally managed to get out, looking past him toward Piper's bike and he shook his head. "That's…not it. We have to take you to it."

Immediately, her face scrunched up in wariness and borderline fury.

"I told you to bring it here. There's a reason I wanted to meet here." She was bristling visibly and indignant.

"Couldn't get it here. It's…pretty grounded," he responded casually, trying to sound reassuring and calming. Her mismatched eyes narrowed and darted between the three of them.

"Your buddy is walking around, flashing his big cash and you're telling me you couldn't rent a trailer hitch sled for a car to haul it here?"

He and Piper exchanged glances, thinking the same thing. Uh-oh. They were losing her. And short of telling her the whole truth right away, they had to go with the next best thing: beg for her to trust them. The first mechanic in a few weeks willing to actually come down and they couldn't afford to lose her before they even go started.

"We…don't own any cars. And we…we need your help—"

"Yes, you seem quite desperate for a private mechanic when we're really a dime a dozen if you knew where to look."

She looked to be holding back a great deal more. Aerrow decided he didn't want to know what was going on in her head right now. Radarr whined in his ear.

"Okay, I'm gonna be honest with you. Yes, we could probably find someone else to help us. But so far, you're the only one who doesn't seem to be in it for the money. We've had two people flake out with a lot of our money and they hadn't even seen the bike." He hesitated before continuing. "We trusted them too easily, and now we're asking you to do the same: trust us. I know it's a lot to ask of you, but…I think you won't regret it if you do."

He waited, a heavy hush swarming in around them. It was al ong, uncomfortable silence and the longer the second ticked by, the more he realized they'd lost her. Uncertainity crossed his face while guarded wariness on hers stared back at him. He finally relented, ready to recognize her discomfort when she suddenly sighed loudly, interrupting him.

"Lead the way."

He blinked. Radarr growled in surprise. Piper gasped. "_Really_?"

Lupin nodded after a moment's pause.

"Yeah. All right. Fine. I could handle Afghanistan. Pretty sure I can handle this…whatever this is." She motioned vaguely to the two of them. She pivoted sharply on her heel, turning back toward her vehicle. She paused at her door, leaning on it casually, and now that her profile was revealed, he could see the tail Piper had spoken about. It was bushy and wolfish, dark brown and tipped a dark red, just like her bangs, oddly enough. Interesting.

"Lead the way," she repeated, tail swaying, shivering, settling as she spoke.

He grinned at her.

"You got it."

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

The drive wasn't long, but to Lupin, it felt like an eternity was passing her by. She didn't even know why she was here anymore. Well, she partly knew why, but she didn't have the time to be entertaining some wacko kids and their crazy story.

She's encountered plenty of weird odds and ends in her life—hell, she was one—but so far…so far, that vibe she was getting from them…

She wasn't sure if this was going to take the cake or not.

She sighed, foot jiggling beside the clutch pedal nervously as they weaved their way through the warehousing district. It was mostly empty and they seemed to be avoiding the main traffic beyond. The hulking bike ahead of her was surprisingly graceful, even with two people on it. She couldn't pinpoint the make or model, everything looked custom and…armored. It looked like it had been designed to be _armored_, almost.

And yes, all right, she would admit, she was…intrigued. She was good at sniffing out lies and so far, she hadn't sensed any, only sincerity and even desperation in their scents. It wafted off of them in waves, constant and almost cloying, it bordered on fear, hiding behind a masquerade of self-assuredness and smiles. She knew the act quite well. She's played the part many times, nad perhaps she was also going along because she somewhat sympathized. She just hoped her small show of kindness wasn't going to be taken advantage of.

They finally rounded about to a lone warehouse structure, a bit of a ways from the main district. It sat close to a large and empty field and stood derelict and abandoned. A rather clever choice, no one would think to look for them there.

At least, that's what a lot of people would like to believe, if they were in hiding.

They slowed to a stop and Lupin waited as Piper dug in her pocket for something and fiddled with the object. Then something caught Lupin's eye over by the warehouse. It looked as though something was shimmering in midair, like heat off the ground. Seconds later, the empty air seemed to…open. A ramp appeared out of thin air, revealing the innards of a cargo bay, like that of a large aircraft. Piper signaled to Lupin to follow. Aerrow, seated behind her, resumed holding her waist while Radarr, the odd blue-furred creature he had, clung to his shoulders.

Lupin didn't follow at first. She hesitated, allowed that inkling of doubt to take hold. It was like very sophisticated camouflage. They had some of kind cloaking mechanism for a ship of unknown size and origin. Were they aliens? Beings from another dimension? The questions spun crazily through her mind.

This was all too weird. Like _Doctor Who_. But without the Doctor. And the TARDIS.

Should she follow or leave?

They knew where she lived. No point.

Hide somewhere?

She couldn't endanger her friends or family like that. Besides, where was her pride as a former Marine, as a werewolf? She would be damned if she tucked tail and ran like a curltail.

So a few seconds of courage it was, then.

Steeling herself, Lupin inched forward and up the ramp, into the awaiting belly of the ship.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

Everyone in the cargo bay held their breaths as they waited for Lupin to board the Condor.

Or so it seemed like they all were. When the purring growl of that noisy, bulky vehicle finally inched its way up and over the ramp, Aerrow could feel the bundle tension slowly ease up in his chest. It was still there, of course, but it was simply less taut.

_Well, the hard part's over_, he mused quietly. He stepped forward to greet Lupin again, to welcome her aboard the _Condor_, but he allowed a few moments to pass first, to let her get acclimated. She stared in open amazement and awe at the bay's size as she slid out of the driver's seat again. Her gaze swooped upward toward arching ceiling, the metal bulkheads, where there were workbenches, tool boxes, and wall lockers. The others' bikes and Stork's Stork-mobile lined one of the bulkheads. Then her eyes landed on his on the opposite bulkhead and they lingered for the longest time. He could already see that calculating look on her face that he's seen so many times on Piper's and Stork's faces when they got ideas brimming about their minds. Her lips moved and he had no doubt she was mumbling to herself.

He didn't get a chance to speak before he realized she had all eyes on his bike and she jolted, jerking into movement. Briefly, she dove into her car. He was startled at the sight of a furry head popping up in the backseat, all black, and broken only by teeth and a pink tongue as it yawned. A dog?

Lupin dragged out a large red toolbox and a worn leather tool belt from her car. The dog scrambled to follow. When the dog was out, Lupin slammed the door shut with her foot and moved with purpose toward her bike. He glanced back at his squadron.

Finn shrugged. Piper looked rather pleased. Stork eyed her with heavy suspicion, that little grimace in his jaw present. Junko grinned widely and nodded, as though in approval.

"I like her already," he declared. Aerrow felt that wash of relief come over him again. One of many things down, a whole slew of them to go. Like getting back to Atmost, and stopping Cyclonis, once and for all.

"All right everyone. Let's get back to work. We still got a lot to finish up."

They all scattered, slowly retreating further into the Condor. Piper lingered the longest, a little smile playing at her lips before she wandered away, presumably toward her precious crystal nursery. They needed those crystals now more than anything, especially in this place, this world.

He watched as Lupin parked herself in front of his bike, like she was already so familiar with it, like she's worked on it hundreds of times before.

Oil and grease from previous mechanical workings stained her hands. She whipped a grungy-looking bandanna from her tool belt and wiped at something on his bike. The black dog sat faithfully by her side, panting.

"Wrench. Wait. Not wrench. I meant screwdriver. Phillips, quarter-inch."

The dog sniffed and stuck its snout into the open tool box and picked up a screwdriver with its mouth. Aerrow watched in open amusement, wishing Radarr was still here to see this. His friend, however, had elsewhere to be.

Lupin reached for the tool without looking, paused to inspect it, then groaned and tapped the dog on the forehead. "Not this one, dodo brain. Try again, Kosmo."

The dog, Kosmo, whined again, took the tool and swapped it with another. Lupin took that one too, inspected it and nodded, setting to work. "Good dog."

Aerrow allowed another cheeky grin to flit across his face. They had already taken the liberty of stripping and removing the exterior paneling, including the deployable wings. She didn't need to see _everything_, after all. Not yet, anyways.

He watched her work quietly for a few minutes. She had deigned it fit to finally ditch her hat and the fuzzy ears Piper had mentioned were atop her head. They twitched and swiveled and moved similarly to her pointy-eared companion's. So they were real and functional, not some garish getup like Finn had suggested offhandedly. That was also interesting.

"If you're going to sit there and gawk, then get over here and be useful while you do," Lupin's clipped tone startled him from his observations. The way she barked, he noticed, she was used to giving orders and expecting them to be followed. He decided to oblige her for the time being and ventured closer.

"Watching me?"

"Kind of have to. Can't let you roam unsupervised," he replied.

"Your ship, you mean. Can't have me running around it."

"Sorry."

"It's understandable," she answered back. She leaned closer, tilting her head a little as she set aside her tool. "So, talk to me. What basic parts are needed."

"New exhaust, for one. It got completely mangled in—in an accident."

No need to mention it had been nearly destroyed in a sky battle with Cyclonis. Or the sky battle in general. That fight had nearly cost his life, and Radarr's for that matter. He was lucky to have escaped, but his bike, unfortunately, was another story, obviously enough.

"I can see that. Y'all did a bang up job gutting this thing," she huffed and he frowned at her gruff, sarcastic tone. She pulled something from her pocket, distracting him. It was a phone, as he'd come to recognize it as, and she fiddled with the touch-screen. Music began to blare from the tiny speakers. She went back to work, the phone now balancing on her knee.

"Um…right." He cleared his throat. "Fuel tank, battery, some other bits and baubles—I'm sure you can already tell what's missing. Is there anything that _we_ might have missed?"

"Hmm." She hummed to her music in response, eyes half-lidded as she poked around some more. He started to think she hadn't heard him before she finally answered, "I'll…have to get back to you on that. Do you have a complete list of everything you need?"

He pulled a slip of paper from his back pocket, handing it to her. She skimmed it, then turned to Kosmo.

"Go get my book. _Book_. Go."

The dog didn't seem to understand at first. He barked twice at her, she pointed again, and he got up at last, trotting away. The windows to her car were dog, so he simply leaped in that way, scuttled about inside, got something, and jumped out with his tail wagging. A thin book was clamped in the dog's jaws.

Lupin patted him affectionately on the head as she took the book. Aerrow spied the title, saw that it was a bike repair and maintenance manual. Perhaps she wasn't as familiar with bikes as she had first appeared.

"I was reviewing this last night," she said without looking up as she flipped through pages of detailed drawings and lengthy passages. "In case I decided to take this job. Glad I did. Brushing up on things, I mean."

"Really now?" One overnight study session and she was 'brushed up'? He didn't know whether to be worried or glad.

"Mmmm." Another noncommittal answer. Music played. Pages turned. She cross referenced the book with the list and after a while, snapped the book shut. "Most parts will be relatively easy, others not so much. I'll need some time."

He figured as much. It didn't make him feel any better. More waiting. Great. He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "How much time?"

"About a week, give or take. Hey, don't give me that look. It might take longer. If I get this done in a week, though, you should be _begging_ to have my babies."

She snorted at his obviously noticeable astonished expression, a trace of a smirk on her face.

"Trust me. If I can't get the parts, chances are I know someone who can, most likely."

The relief was back again, but it was fleeting, willowy. Another week. Well, that was fine. They still needed to find a way back. Atmos was waiting, and it would be there, just as the Far Side had been.

"A week then," he agreed. "I guess you'd better hop to. Here, wait. You'll need money, right?"

He fiddled with his wallet—he was still unused to the thing, never had any use for one before—and pulled out the entire wad of cash stuffed inside. He was somewhat more familiar with the currency here. It was easy enough to understand.

"How much do you need?"

He hoped she wouldn't flake out after taking the money. Or that she didn't take all of it. He doubted she would, though. Something in the way she had examined, touched, and fiddled with his bike told him so. She seemed rather genuine in her promise to help. Unlike the last two people…

She eyed the wad with raised brows, surprise colouring her face. She gingerly took it, and he noticed a four-leafed plant with a number thirteen imprinted in it tattooed on the back of her left hand for the first time. She took the cash, counted out a measured chunk, took it and handed the rest back. He was surprised she didn't take more.

"That's it?"

"We'll have to see on most parts, because of the measurements. Most items and prices vary because of those. I'll have to get back to you on them. This'll do for stuff that doesn't need them, hopefully."

She gathered everything up, packed it all away, and headed back to her car. She left the tool box for last. He grabbed it, intending on shortening her trips, and was surprised at the heavy weight. She'd lugged it around like it had weighed nothing!

Then again, she probably wasn't strictly human like he was. Of course she might be stronger.

After securing Kosmo, she turned around to fetch the tool box, and stopped short of running into him, seeing it right in front of her. She took it and stashed it in the back alongside the dog.

"Thanks. I'll keep you posted. You got a phone number or—wait. You probably don't even have a phone, do you?"

He shook his head. She groaned, scratching the back of her head. He thought for a few seconds before motioning for her to wait. He swiftly moved to one of the workbenches, found what he was looking for and checked the little crystal on the back. It glowed blue. He clicked a button on the side, heard the radio static in response. Still worked. Good.

He trotted back over to Lupin, handing it to her. She eyed it, allowing a beat to pass, her ears twitching before she took it in her hand. "Radio?"

He nodded. "Of sorts. It'll patch through directly to our comms. So, one of us will always receive any messages you send through." He paused before adding, "The power source, it's…almost drained, so…try to limit your transmissions, make them as short as possible."

She sighed in exaggeration.

"Damn. There go my late night crank calls."

He laughed. She cracked a grin. Keys jangled in her hand.

"Is it…is it all right if I come back? If I get some parts, I mean, so I can deliver them."

The inquiry threw him off but he didn't think twice on the answer. "Of course! I mean, yeah. That'd—that'd be just fine. It'd be great, actually, if you could."

He grinned sheepishly, feeling somewhat foolish. Thankfully, she merely smiled back.

"Great. I'll start making calls, see if I can't pick some up this evening. See you tomorrow, maybe."

He felt that ball of tension loosen again, allowing another flood of relief to wash through him. He almost forgot to say goodbye as she got back into her car. Minutes later, she was backing out down the ramp and was gone.

A week. He closed his eyes and grinned.

Just one week.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**


	3. Chapter Two: Grind

**Chapter Two: Grind**

_**Disclaimer: **_**I do not own the cartoon **_**Storm Hawks**_**. It and all its respectable characters are © to Asaph "Ace" Fipke and Nerd Corps.** **Lupin and all plot contents within are © to me. All shows/ books/ video games/ songs that are mentioned in this chapter are all © to their respective owners, I don't own them.**

**Note: I want to thank the peeps who reviewed my last two chapters and apologize for not replying them via the messaging system. I keep telling myself to, but then I forget and get distracted by shiny stuff elsewhere on the internet. **

…**I have no regrets. Tumblr is quite shiny and hard to resist.**

**With that said, thank you again, and enjoy the next installment for **_**The Oncoming Storm**_**!**

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

_Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today.__  
__**-Thich Nhat Hanh**_

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

"So, what in the hell do you need motorcycle parts for, anyway? Didn't know you rode."

"Got one in my garage, Bear, you know this."

Bear chuckled. "I know, I know. I'm just pullin' yer leg. I assume those little punks I sent your way met with you."

"Yeah, thanks for that. Couldn't give me a heads up? A courtesy call or text would've been nice."

"I was busy!"

"Right, sure. With what?" Lupin eyed her taller friend, who grumbled under his breath, pouting slightly. It was always funny seeing the big man pout. It looked absolutely ridiculous.

"Jerry made me go _shopping_. Like I need more clothes. The man won't leave me be about it, I swear."

"Bear, you turn into a bear. You ruin your own clothes."

"Yeah, but at least I can control my changes. I'm a skinwalker. You're a werewolf. Big difference."

"I _can_ control my shifts."

"Not on the full moon, you can't," he pointed out. Lupin scowled.

"Whatever. Any other time of the month, I can."

Bear only nodded, conceding to her point. He sighed and patted Lupin's shoulder with a large paw that nearly sent her careening off her bar stool. "Curse of being nonhumans. You'll get used to it." He paused to survey the bar they were currently seated in. Gary, the owner and bartender of the Blue Moon Tavern, came ambling over, replacing Bear's and Lupin's empty beer bottles with cold, fresh ones. They nodded their thanks. Gary pointed at Bear.

"Break's almost over. I don't want you drinkin' too much now, you still have your shift to finish."

"You got it, boss man," Bear mock saluted him with his beer bottle before taking a long swig. He turned back to Lupin as she sullenly stared at her own bottle.

"I should _already_ be used to it," she finally grumbled under her breath.

"You've been in this supernatural gun show for three years now. I've been in it my whole life. Trust me, I'm still getting used to it. Three years ain't _shit_, girlie."

Lupin pursed her lips tightly, a stony expression flitting across her face. "That's where you're wrong, Bear. Can't play with fire without getting burned…not unless you were born with pyrokinesis."

Bear sighed. "I always forget about that. Not exactly a physically noticeable thing, either."

Lupin continued to stare at her bottle. Bear patted her shoulder again, this time more gingerly.

"Sorry. I didn't mean—,"

"I know, Bear. I know, it's not your fault, I just…got some…fucked up shit going on in my head that I really don't know how to fucking get over. I just…need to get it sorted or something."

"Easier said than done," he drawled, giving her another pat on the shoulder. "Anyway, what'd you need to talk to me about again? Said you had some information you needed me to research."

The werewolf nodded. "Right, yeah, that. Listen, I need some pick-ups done while I'm at work tomorrow. Think you and Jerry can go out and about for me?"

She dipped a hand into her leather jacket's inner pocket, producing a sheet of paper and presenting it to Bear. He took it in his hand, eyes roving over the written contents. Then he folded it up and nodded his bald head, grinning. "Yeah, I gotcha. Looks a bit short, though."

"Gotta get measurements for the rest of the parts. If anyone asks, just tell 'em I'm working on my bike."

"All this fuss for a secret squirrel repair mission. Starting to wonder if I shouldn't have sent 'em your way. I don't like this."

"Yeah, that reminds me. How did y'all meet, by the way?" Lupin was curious. Bear shrugged.

"Jerry. He was at a Jamba Juice, sitting outside with one of his friends, the kids were walking by, Jerry blabbing his mouth off, mentioned me and my 'mechanic friends' and they got everything out of him pretty quick. He said the girl was very charming, but her blond friend was the real seller."

Bear laughed. Lupin snorted. "Right. Pretty, blond and dumb."

"I know! Well, that's not entirely fair. He was smart enough. Just a bit clueless and not enough common sense. There _is_ a difference."

Lupin snorted again, refusing to make comment.

"Anyway, Jerry brings 'em by work, we talk, and I thought everything sounded a bit too…too…"

"Neatly pieced together?" The woman offered. He shrugged.

"Something like that, yeah. Figured I might send 'em to you. If they weren't scared by you, then they were probably as desperate as they sounded."

"You sent them my way so I could scare them?" Well, now. She wasn't sure to be flattered or insulted.

"Heh. Girl, you are the scariest short person I ever met. You made it through the Marines, you've been in combat, survived four werewolf attacks—all of 'em by your own damned Sire, I might add—and you grew up with that fucked up extended family of yours…_I'm_ scared of you. You werewolves are made of sterner stuff than skinwalkers, and I was afraid of you before you were bit."

"You're scared of your own shadow. _And_ you're a bar bouncer."

"You don't hear whispers in the city's underbelly like I do. _Other_ werewolves are scared of the Red Beast's Sired pup. You got quite a name, girl."

That sent a chill down her spine. Violent images flashed across her mind. Ghostly scents and voices whispered across her mind, filled her nostrils. She shuddered again. "Don't. Don't do that. Don't even mention that bastard again, Bear," she whispered, a touch of fear quivering her voice.

Bear hesitated. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. Just…" He sighed, exasperated. "Look, I sent 'em your way because I know you could use the extra money. The others…they're pretty well off. You're living out of an old mechanic's garage, Lupin. That ain't right."

"_Why_ do people worry about my living situation? Jesus, I _chose_ to live there. I'd rather live _there_ than in some over-priced apartment that's just as shitty and cramped and in an even worse neighborhood."

"Your mother wouldn't stand for it and if she knew that we all knew, she'd skin us all and leave you for last. And I don't think even your stepdaddy would be able to save your hide." Bear pointed out. Lupin shuddered. Christ, she didn't want to think about it. "You should be using your GI Bill for rent on a better place, but I can't say much else on the matter. I'd say come live with me and Jerry, but we just moved and we're still settling and the extra bedroom's still got boxes we ain't even unpacked and gone through yet. And Jerry wouldn't stand to let you sleep on the couch, he'd rather wait for the room to open up. You know him."

Lupin sighed and nodded. "Right. Yeah, I know the guy. I introduced you two, remember?"

Bear chuckled, finished off the last of his beer and set the bottle on the counter.

"I remember," he rumbled back as he stood from his seat. "Anyway, break time's up. Gotta get back to my shift. I'll pick up these things tomorrow while you're at work."

"Here. This should cover the expenses. If not, just write down what I owe, I'll pay you back," Lupin added, fishing out the cash she'd gotten from Aerrow. Bear's eyes widened in surprise at the amount of money she handed him and hurriedly stuffed it into his jeans.

"Are you crazy?"

"They don't seem to have any bank accounts. You practically need a DNA test to set one up to prove who you are just so you can access them nowadays."

Bear had a comment lined up for that one, she knew he did, could see it in his eyes, but he seemed to think twice about it. It died on his lips and he just shook his head.

"I'll see you later, Lupin. Have a good night."

With that said, he waved and ambled off back outside. Lupin watched his retreat, and it was hard to miss the guy in a crowd. He was nearly seven feet tall and could have played professional football if he wanted. He was built like a steel fucking wall, but not everyone knew Bear like she did.

She twisted her seat around so that she was facing the main floor of the bar. Off in another room, people were playing pool or card games. In the main room where the bar was, chairs and tables were set facing a stage for a live band performance. They were usually local bands, some well-known and others not so much. She watched as the current band continued their performance, ears giving the occasional twitch, but for the most part, they remained still.

"You miss it," a new voice asked behind her. She shrugged, knowing it was Gary. The clunk of a new bottle settled beside her and she picked up the new beer, brought the bottle neck to her lips.

"Once upon a time," she sighed in response.

"Wallace and the others will be playing next Thursday for Halloween. You should be there. For old times' sake."

Lupin shook her head lightly.

"Don't sing anymore. You know that. I never even got my foot in the door, so I probably wasn't even that great."

"You say that, and I still don't believe you. But hey, whatever you tell yourself at night to justify it." Gary responded before turning back to some new customers who were approaching the bar.

Lupin felt a stab of misery twisting in her chest, remembering her times on that stage, sneaking into this very bar as a teenager just to listen to other bands, of dreaming of performing live for people and getting that chance at last. A mixture of memorable and painful instances raged inside her. She finally left the bar after paying her tab. Bear waved her goodbye as she did so, but she barely glimpsed at him as she strolled down the street, still lost in thought, hands shoved deep into the pockets of her leather jacket.

She didn't have time fantasizing about childish dreams anymore. She had to focus on other things.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**

The repairs were going rather beautifully, and the pace at which their newly hired mechanic was going at was a rather unexpected, but welcome one. Despite her warnings of working a job and attending school, she always showed up sometime in the day, without fail, and always with an assorted amount of parts. The first three days had been a source of tension, excitement, and anxiety to get things up and running on the _Condor_ simultaneously to the repairs Aerrow's bike was receiving. Despite her admitted limited experience when it came to repairs on bikes, Lupin was proving exceedingly sufficient and reliable as a mechanic. The parts she kept bringing in were proving easier to obtain than originally thought, although she didn't seem all that surprised.

"If you know where to look in this city, you can find just about anything," she'd said the first day she'd come with box full of them. "I will admit, I didn't expect it to be this easy, though."

The repairs, at first, seemed to go slowly. Most of the parts that were most sorely needed she didn't have. But, at least it was a start in the right direction. The second day, however, proved to be a better day for the mechanic. Everything else she needed, a majority she had brought with her and the repairs began in earnest.

Someone was always with her in the bay, not entirely supervising her, but they were making sure that she didn't up and wander off. Years ago, they most likely wouldn't have minded, but after the several incidents and double-crossing agents of Cyclonia that had infiltrated them, it was difficult to continue holding out on good faith with people. They knew that Lupin couldn't possibly be an agent for Cyclonia or even knew who Master Cyclonis was, yes. But she was from this world and not theirs, and that was enough to keep up precautions for the time being.

The fourth day into the repairs looked promising enough. She was fast and efficient, and whatever work she'd left in the past three days prior, Aerrow would go through to make sure everything was where it was supposed to be. He even tinkered and tweaked a few things here and there, but left the majority of the work to Lupin. It wouldn't do to undermine her hard work and steal her thunder. It would be a bit unfair. Not to mention, they were paying her.

Although, he did suspect that she knew someone was tweaking her work, but she never said a word about it. She simply inspected the corrections and then set to her work. In fact…she never really spoke much at all. She only played her music, sometimes humming to it, and the only times she spoke was to bark an order to her dog, Kosmo, who was always with her for her repairs.

Today, the fourth day in, seemed to be no exception. It was Aerrow's shift again to keep his eye on her and other than the music playing and the occasional pant from Kosmo, it was quiet. Radarr, who had decided to join him for the afternoon, whined a little at his side, looking up at Aerrow. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, feeling the bite of boredom finally come nipping at his conscious.

It was anxiousness and even excitement that was making him impatient and giddy to finally having his bike repaired. But sitting here with nothing to do was making him remember how dull it was not being able to ride. He sighed, recalling that this wasn't the worst thing in the world. No, the worst had been when he'd been completely bedridden and unable to move at all. That had been worse, not to mention boring. At least he could move at the moment. And perhaps not annoy his squadron as much…

"Oi."

He started at the sound of Lupin's voice, blinking and looking to Kosmo, half-expecting her to give the dog a command. Instead, she was looking directly at him with those mismatched eyes, lips quirked into…well, not quite a smile, but close.

"'Mere," she said, motioning with a finger for him to come over. He glanced at Radarr, who shrugged with a soft whine. He shrugged back, and pushed off the work bench he'd been leaning against and complied.

She had her hand holding up the exhaust and a tool in the other hand. Kosmo was on her right side. He approached her left. Kosmo stood and came closer towards Radarr, sniffing with wide curious eyes and a whine in his throat. Radarr growled, backing up behind Aerrow to put a barrier between himself and the inquisitive dog.

"Kosmo. 'Mere, boy," Lupin barked at him as she snapped her fingers and the dog whined again. He was looking torn between listening to her and continuing his investigation on the strange, blue-furred creature. The former won out and the German Shepard trotted back, and sat beside his master, groaning at her. She patted his head. "Good boy. And you, I need you to hold this in place. I gotta screw it in place and this has a really awkward place for the bolt. I can't hold it and screw it in place at the same time."

He chuckled and kneeled, taking the exhaust pipe in his hands while she scooted closer, tool and bolt in hand as she twisted to get to that awkward little place. "Hold it higher—that's good, right there. Just like that."

"For someone who claims to not be that great with bikes, you're doing a fantastic job," he said after a few beats. Lupin made a humming sound in response.

A minute nearly ticked by before she scooted back and sat up, not even looking him in the face when she said, "And you are not just a bunch of out-of-towners, if I'm not mistaken."

He felt his breath hitch in chest and he managed to give a nervous laugh. "Erm…what makes you say that?"

"Really?" She finally looked at him with a stare that clearly needed no words because it said it all: _'Are you really trying to play dumb with me?' _

She held this without wavering and he finally had to be the one to break contact. Damn.

When he glanced back at her, she was cleaning her hands with that grubby bandanna of hers, carefully scrubbing a bit of grease off of her fingers. "You're not military, and this is not some Lockheed C130 Hercules aircraft. I should know, I've been in the military and I've been on one of those planes. I'm not stupid and I find it insulting you'd think I would be, after bringing me here and insisting I do my repairs in your own bay. So, which one is it? Another world or aliens?"

"I'm…I think you lost me." He blinked at her.

"I'm asking where or what you are. Are you from another world or are you extraterrestrials? Either one isn't going to make a difference to me, it's not like I'm going to go running crying to the police or the government. Know how quick they'll lock my ass up for crying wolf like that?"

She smirked a bit.

"Believe me, your secret's safe with me. Especially since you found me trustworthy enough to parade your nonhuman crew members in front of me. And this guy ain't like anything we got anywhere, trust me," she motioned to Radarr, who narrowed his eyes and growled at her, crossing his arms over his chest. "Easy there, tiger. I ain't gonna throw you in a cage or anything. It's just a warning. Keep him out of sight."

"We've already established that early on, thanks," Aerrow sighed. "So we're that obvious, huh?"

"Well, just a bit. You're not exactly in season for a convention to be wandering around like ya do. Then again, neither am I. But I can't really give two fucks what people think, and I'd like to see them try."

She motioned to the ears that gave a swivel and a twitch, as though to demonstrate. She had a quirky, wry little smile pulling at her lips as she turned back to the bike, finishing up the exhaust and securing it in place.

"I know this might sound…kind of awkward, but, what exactly are you, if you aren't human? Or at least, I'm assuming you're not. Er, that came out wrong, I mean—"

"I know what you meant, kiddo."

"Kiddo? I'm twenty! I'm not a kid anymore!"

She paused and looked at him, eyebrows raised at him, and there was even a mite of embarrassment that streaked across her eyes; there one moment and gone the next.

"Oh. Well, then. I'm still older than you. At least I'm old enough to drink," she went back to what she was doing. He scowled, a bit of annoyance rising up.

"How old did you think I was?"

"Sixteen."

"Come on."

"No, really. I thought that," she sighed, and waved a hand at him, never taking those mismatched eyes off her work. "Anyway, to answer your earlier question, I'm guess you don't have werewolves where you come from."

"What's a werewolf?"

She sighed again. Kosmo lay down beside her, blinking his watery brown eyes at her and heaved a heavy sigh. "This might take a while."

"We've got all afternoon," he offered in a placating tone. "Unless, you have somewhere else to be in the next five minutes, that is. Or you're not comfortable talking about it."

He hadn't considered that until the last second and felt a little sheepish at digging. Not everyone was comfortable talking about certain subjects as others. And the pause she gave and the look that accompanied it only seemed to further his suspicion. She pursed her lips at him, glanced at Radarr, then sat back up again. Kosmo whined, lifting his head up and licked his chops, alert and wide awake.

She began wiping her hands with that bandanna of hers again. "A werewolf is a monster," she started and he couldn't help but notice the bitter way she said 'monster'. "A cursed monster, to be exact, who looks human most of the time, but on full moons…turns into a wolf-creature and hunts humans as prey."

That sent a chill down his spine and the first instinct that came to mind was to back away. She didn't meet his gaze. She just picked at her nails, trying to get to the grime there.

"Luckily, I got so many wires crossed wrong in my head, that you humans don't even smell delectable to me, in human or wolf form. You can pretty yourself up on the outside, but on the inside, you…you're not very good smelling to me, let's just leave it at that. So, full moon or no, you're quite safe around me. Not many werewolves are out there like me." She snorted and tucked away the bandanna, nabbed a tool from her tool box and turned back to another part that needed securing. Aerrow hesitated before he offered to hold it for her and she scooted aside to let him in closer.

"So…you just…turn into…something else on full moons?"

"There's more to it than that, but…something like that, yeah."

He frowned. "How many others like you are there?"

"Dunno. Don't care. I don't run in a pack. Not really for them. And not many like me, either. They call me a kin killer."

Kin killer? He was almost afraid to ask, from the cold tone she assumed, it didn't sound very pleasant.

"It means I kill my own kind. It's a bit frowned upon amongst our kind. Kind of like human-on-human killings. But with werewolves…it's a bit more shameful than having your face plastered all over the ten o'clock news channel and the world knowing your name. It…I don't really know how to describe. It's almost as bad as…being a bone eater. A cannibal."

She grunted as she screwed in another part, tightening it into place and he removed his hands slowly before feeling satisfied that it would hold. Lupin worked on the next bolt that would screw it into place.

"Can you…change whenever you want?" He eyed the tail that sat beside her, motionless except for the occasional bristling of the fur.

"Of course. I couldn't do it at first…it…it took time." She paused, lips pursing tightly into a thin line, brow scrunching up. Whether it was in distaste at the answer or in concentration, he wasn't sure. "I couldn't always shift other parts of my body either. The ears and tail, I mean. They took some time and figuring out too."

"How long have you been this way?"

This answer took time to come forth. She finished her work and straightened up again, eyeing her work, running her hands over the parts she's completed, lips still pursed tightly together. Her ears were pressed against her head, and her tail was bristled. It was hard to miss the tension in her shoulders or the distant look in her eyes. Radarr whined uneasily beside him, looking between Aerrow and Lupin.

"Three years," she finally replied. "Almost to the day."

She began gathering her tools up. Kosmo stood and began helping, dumping tools into the top of the box while Lupin arranged them and before long, was closing it all up.

"That's about as much as I can do for the day. At least it doesn't look as gutted as it did before. I'll have the parts I need for the engine by tomorrow, so we can get that up and running by the end of the day, hopefully. Then it's just minor tweaks here and there over the next few days, some troubleshooting to make sure everything's running the way it should…"

"We can take care of that."

Lupin glanced at him from the corner of her eye before she gave a curt nod. "Fair enough. I understand. Your bike and all."

She shrugged at him and picked herself up, taking the tool box along with her. Kosmo followed close on her heels as she headed back toward her vehicle. He stood and followed halfway to her vehicle, but stopped short, looking back at his bike. It was starting to look like its old self again, she was right. Less gutted and scored with blast marks and more like how it used to before…

He turned back to look at Lupin, who had finished packing everything away. Kosmo was sitting up in the front seat, looking pleased as can be. She caught his gaze and gave him a little wave.

"I'll catch you guys in the afternoon after classes. Sound good?"

He nodded wordlessly before he hesitated and then called to her, "Atmos."

She scrunched her face in a quizzical manner, tilting her head at him.

"It's where we're from. Our world, it's called Atmos."

The questioning stare smoothed out and she made an 'O' with her mouth and nodded, ears twitching twice. "I'm…assuming you're stuck here?"

"Long story," he nodded. She seemed to contemplate his answer.

"We got all afternoon tomorrow," she offered. "Unless you don't feel like telling it to an outsider like me."

She shrugged, as though either way it wouldn't matter to her, but he could see that hungry look for answers written plainly in her eyes. He looked at Radarr, who looked back at him. His friend growled and shrugged. He looked back at Lupin.

"Maybe," he nodded. "If you don't mind me bugging you while you work."

"Never said I didn't." She patted the door to her car and gave him another wave. "Tomorrow it is, then."

Then she clambered inside and once again, he watched her back out of the bay and down the ramp before sighing and closing it up. He grinned a little.

Tomorrow. He had a very good feeling about tomorrow.

**OoOoOoOoOoO**


End file.
